Williamsport Crosscutters Year-in-Review for 2018

WILLIAMSPORT — While the 20th season of Williamsport Crosscutters baseball began on a high note, with a 3-2 win over State College on opening night, the 2018 edition of Cutters baseball never really seemed to get on track. The high water mark came just 9 games into the season when the team had a record of 6-3. A week later, at the end of June, the squad was at .500 (7-7), a mark they would not see again during the ’18 campaign. The team ended the season with an overall record of 32-44, tied for fifth in the NYPL’s Pinckney Division and 10 ¢ games out of first.

All that said, there were certainly some bright spots to the 2018 season as the Williamsport Crosscutters celebrated their 20th anniversary season. Overall, 10 of the Phillies top 20 picks in 2018 played in Williamsport including 3B Alec Bohm out of Wichita State, Philadelphia’s 1st round pick (3rd overall). Bohm hit .224 with 12 RBI’s in just 29 games as he battled injuries during his first season as a pro. Six Williamsport players were chosen to play in the league’s All-Star Game, tied for the most of any team in the league.

The 20th season of Cutters baseball was celebrated with Throwback Thursdays, as the team sported the jerseys and caps worn in the inaugural year of 1999 through the 2007 season. Again in 2018, BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field was featured on the national stage, hosting the MLB Little League Classic on August 19 between the Cutters parent club, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the N.Y. Mets as many former Williamsport players returned to the stadium where their professional careers began. The event, televised nationally on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, returns for a third year in 2019 as the Pittsburgh Pirates host the Chicago Cubs.

The Cutters averaged over 1,900 fans per game in 2018 which represents a 6% increase from last season and a 10% increase from 2016 as BB&T Ballpark continues to be one of the most popular entertainment venues in the Susquehanna Valley.

Here’s our annual season in review, by the numbers:

5- Top 30 Prospects on the roster. 3B Alec Bohm (#2), RHP Francisco Morales (#13), LHP Kyle Young (#17), LHP Jhordany Mezquita (#26) & RHP Colton Eastman all played for the Cutters in 2017 and were ranked by MLB Pipeline as Top 30 Prospects in the Phillies organization.

6- Shutouts by Cutters pitchers in 2018. Tied for 3rd in team history.

7- Number of different pitchers who recorded saves for Williamsport

7- Longest Cutters losing streak in 2018. Tied for the 2nd longest in team history.

7-13- Cutters Record in 1-run games

8- Players promoted to long-season A Lakewood in 2018

10- Saves by Keylan Killgore. Tied for first in the NYPL.

24- Number of times caught stealing. The fewest in Cutters history.

32- Number of wins by the Cutters. The team’s lowest total since 2012 when they had 30 victories.

48- Number of players to appear in a Cutters uniform this season

49- Number of stolen bases by Williamsport. The fewest in Cutters history.

105- Number of Community Service hours performed by Cutters players during the 2018 season

154- Number of Cutters career victories by manager Pat Borders (2015-2018), the most by a Cutters manager

620- Strikeouts by Williamsport batters. The most in Cutters history.

674- Strikeouts by Williamsport pitchers. The most in Cutters history.